Preschool Education Concerns

Official data shows that private kindergartens nationwide admitted 2.44 million children in 2016, up from 1.69 million in 2011, exceeding the number at public kindergartens. The number of children enrolled in private kindergartens is expected to reach some three million by 2020. Alongside the rapid rise in demand for preschool places, preschool education has encountered a string of problems, including the abuse of children. From January 2016 to November 2017, Chinese prosecutors approved the arrest of 69 people across the nation on charges of suspected child abuse, and 77 people were prosecuted, generating widespread public outcry. In November 2018, the State Council announced reforms to the preschool education industry to ensure that public kindergartens account for at least 50 percent of places by 2020. More education resources will be allocated to the sector. Currently, both public and private kindergartens are suffering from a lack of qualified teachers, with 22 percent of teachers only having received a high-school education or even below. Education experts warned that it is time to raise the entry level for kindergarten teachers, raise their salary and develop a professional training structure.